Sen. Scott: Trump’s approval with African Americans has been over 30 percent
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Republican member of the Senate Finance Committee, joins ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’
This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," February 9, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Good Sunday, everyone. Thanks for joining us. Welcome to "Sunday Morning Futures." I'm Maria Bartiromo.
A big week for President Trump this past week, after his acquittal and the State of the Union address.
Coming up right here, the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is with me.
Plus, we are two days away from the New Hampshire primary, the next big test for the Democrats, followed by South Carolina, and then Super Tuesday on March 3.
Also this morning, the death toll from the coronavirus is on the rise. The Department of Homeland Security's acting secretary, Chad Wolf, is here live to tell us how the department is moving to keeping America safe, plus his take on why New York is fighting the department over changes to the Global Entry program.
In the aftermath of a bitter impeachment battle, we will finally see accountability for misconduct within the DOJ and the FBI. Will we? We will talk with Congressman Devin Nunes and Congressman Doug Collins, along with Senator Tim Scott, coming up.
All that and a lot more, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."
And we have a lot to get to you this morning.
First, some Republican senators on Capitol Hill pledging to press ahead with investigations into Hunter Biden and his finances after President Trump's impeachment acquittal last week.
The president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has said he backs that effort.
Mr. Giuliani joins me right now.
Rudy, it's wonderful to see you.
RUDY GIULIANI, ATTORNEY FOR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Good to see you.
(LAUGHTER)
BARTIROMO: Thank you so much for joining us.
You have two smoking guns on set with you right now. We're going to get to that in a moment.
GIULIANI: Yes.
BARTIROMO: But give me your reaction first to the president's acquittal, the State of the Union, where Speaker Pelosi rips up the president's speech.
How's the president doing post all of that?
GIULIANI: The acquittal, of course, was wonderful, but it never should have happened. I mean, he didn't do anything wrong.
And I think over the -- over the next couple of months, you're going to see that what he did was perfectly justifiable.
The amount of crimes that Democrats committed in Ukraine are astounding. And when you say investigate and call Hunter Biden, I mean, Joe -- Joe Biden was the guy who did the bribe.
And Joe Biden was the guy who took the bribe in order to protect Burisma.
BARTIROMO: Which bribe? Tell me about which bribe you're referring to.
GIULIANI: Well, which one?
We want to talk about Iraq? Do we want to talk about Ukraine? Do we want to talk China?
BARTIROMO: Let's talk first Ukraine.
GIULIANI: Every time Joe Biden was named point man, the Biden family made millions.
As a prosecutor, that just, like, doesn't compute for me. He's named point man in Iraq. The brother gets a half-a-billion dollar housing deal for week -- four days later, no housing experience.
Ukraine, point man, the kid makes $8 million. And now they're looking at where the money went to Joe. The whole deal there was between the owner of the company and Joe, and it was to protect the company.
And the reason he got the prosecutor kicked out is -- remember, they said that Hunter Biden wasn't under investigation by that prosecutor?
BARTIROMO: Yes.
GIULIANI: Well, I'd like you to look at this document that unequivocally says -- and this is around the time he was fired -- this is February 18, 2016.
He was fired in February 2016.
BARTIROMO: OK.
GIULIANI: It just reads, very simply: "Burisma Holding Limited and its director, Hunter Biden, are involved in corruption affair."
And then it lays out a stone-cold money-laundering situation that he was involved in for $14.6 million that went from, as loan -- disguised as loans from Ukraine to Latvia, Latvia to Cyprus, and then it came to the U.S.
And they wouldn't give the prosecutor the amounts of money that went to Hunter Biden and Devon Archer, because the prosecutor was told the American Embassy wouldn't give it.
Well, I recovered those documents from the trial of Devon Archer. You know, his partner was convicted of securities fraud.
BARTIROMO: Yes, insider trading, right.
GIULIANI: In that trial, they had to produce records that shows this money coming in at exactly that time. So it ties the money laundering all together.
If there were a document about you or me like this, I think we'd be in jail by now.
BARTIROMO: The Treasury Department...
GIULIANI: He hasn't even been investigated.
BARTIROMO: Well, that's -- this is the thing.
Every time you bring this up, the critics of the president say, well, this has been looked at and looked at before.
GIULIANI: Nobody ever looked...
BARTIROMO: This has actually not been looked at.
GIULIANI: Nobody ever looked at this.
BARTIROMO: And the Treasury has now...
GIULIANI: I recovered this. Nobody looked at this.
They have -- they have -- for two years, the Justice Department and the FBI -- I have a -- four witnesses who say that for two years they have been trying to get this information to the Justice Department and the FBI.
One FBI agent went to -- went like this to the witness.
BARTIROMO: Why isn't it important to some people to investigate the Bidens? Is it because he was in the Senate for 30-plus years and they're all friends with him?
I mean, is there a personal situation here?
GIULIANI: Thirty -- 30...
BARTIROMO: I will say this.
The Treasury has compiled a list and documents. They have complied with a Republican-controlled Senate inquiry into Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine. They have handed over highly sensitive evidence of questionable origin.
That is a report from last week. So, the Treasury is complying with an investigation that's happening now.
GIULIANI: Very good.
I think what the Treasury Department should do is look at every one of the family transactions, because this was a pattern of behavior. They were monetizing -- the family was monetizing Joe's public office. When he was a senator, they did it, and three major ones when he was in -- in as vice president, in Iraq, in Ukraine, in China.
And we're talking millions. We're not talking pennies. Joe claims he didn't know, he didn't notice that his brother and his son, who has this challenge with drugs, were becoming millionaires right around him.
Joe's answer to all eight situations is, I don't know my family's business. That only worked one for Kay Corleone.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
You have a second piece of information you want to show to us, evidence, this morning?
GIULIANI: Second one equally -- equally damaging.
This is a memo from a woman named Ali Chalupa. She worked for the Democratic National Committee. This is a memo to her boss, the coms director. This is May 3, 2016, right in the middle of the election.
She brags to him that she put -- she put together -- "I invited Michael Isikoff, whom I have been working with for the past few weeks, and connected him to the Ukrainians to talk about Paul Manafort."
BARTIROMO: Isikoff is a New York Times reporter.
GIULIANI: Yes. Yes.
So, this is -- this is -- this is the crime they were investigating the Trump Organization for. This is what they investigated Donald Trump Jr. for two years and said they were going to indict him for. Meanwhile, they have an admission that she was getting information from foreigners and funneling it into the campaign.
Then she goes further. She says: "A big one will hit in next few weeks."
The big one in the next few weeks was the phony black ledger.
BARTIROMO: The dossier?
GIULIANI: Yes, the phony black ledger, in which they announced that it would destroy Trump's campaign.
BARTIROMO: They -- by the way, they used the same reporter, Isikoff, to leak things during the Russia collusion narrative as well.
GIULIANI: Documents don't -- I tried enough cases and argued this very often. You put this in front of a jury, and you say, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, documents don't lie.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
I got to move on, but I want to finish this here.
Do you think we're going to see accountability? We spoke with Senator Lindsey Graham on this program last Sunday. And he said, look, it's not his department. It has to be Foreign Affairs. He says Jim Risch is resisting.
GIULIANI: Not my job. Not my job, ma'am. Not my job, ma'am.
BARTIROMO: Lindsey Graham says he wants to investigate.
GIULIANI: I love Lindsey, but not my job, ma'am.
BARTIROMO: But how are you going to get them to get down there and testify, so that we can get some documentation under oath, so that we can understand what they're saying?
GIULIANI: The Democrats have done this thing that Biden's running for president, therefore, he can be engaged in multiple briberies, and get away with it.
(LAUGHTER)
GIULIANI: It's ridiculous.
This -- these are not...
BARTIROMO: Do you think we will get accountability?
GIULIANI: These are not simple crimes.
BARTIROMO: Are you expecting another investigation?
GIULIANI: He corrupted -- he corrupted Ukraine, and he soiled the reputation of the United States.
How do we have relationships with Ukraine and try to get them to be honest if we can't hold our vice president accountable for bribing their president, or for taking a bribe from one of their most crooked citizens?
BARTIROMO: So, you do believe we will see accountability? You do believe we will actually hear from Hunter Biden?
GIULIANI: If we don't -- if we don't -- if we don't, we continue to have the double standard where Republicans are treated harshly, Democrats get off the hook.
BARTIROMO: What do you think is going on with John Bolton?
This unpublished manuscript is claiming that you, Mick Mulvaney, Pat Cipollone were present when the president asked him to call Zelensky, paved the way for you to go investigate.
Your reaction to Bolton?
GIULIANI: I was never in any such meeting, 1000, 100 percent, never at any such meeting.
I do not know what John is talking about. And I'm very angry at John, because John says I was a hand grenade. At no time, and -- during the entire period this was going on did John Bolton, who I have known for 10 years and consider a friend, did he come up to me and say: Rudy, I'm concerned about what you're doing. I'm worried about what you're doing.
Never.
Instead, he says he went around my back to the secretary of state and complained. The secretary of state says he didn't, by the way. So, I don't know what John's up to.
BARTIROMO: Right.
GIULIANI: I mean, he's either -- he's either a liar, or he's backstabber.
BARTIROMO: Do you think they're going to call him and then continue this, trying to call people to get more dirt on President Trump, since the impeachment failed, the collusion narrative failed?
(CROSSTALK)
GIULIANI: Well, if he says things like that meeting, which didn't occur, I don't know what he's doing.
I mean, I can see being bitter about being fired. And I think he thinks I was involved in his firing, which I wasn't. I actually recommended him for the job, which make it a little...
BARTIROMO: Let me switch gears.
Mr. Mayor, everybody knows what you did for New York City and how you cleaned up New York, and it was a safe place. Now we look at the numbers, crime is on the rise. There is a new bail reform law, which I told my audience on FOX Business on "Mornings With Maria" a year ago that three- quarters of all inmates in Rikers Island and other prisons were going to be let out because of -- they want to get rid of Rikers and also because of this new bail law.
Your reaction to what's going on in New York?
And we're going to speak with Chad Wolf in a moment, the acting secretary of homeland security, because Cuomo, the governor in New York, is suing Chad Wolf. Chad Wolf says they're not showing us the Department of Motor Vehicle information. They want access. So they're doing away with the Global Entry program.
GIULIANI: My -- I don't know how to say it to you, other than my heart is breaking for the city that I worked so hard to turn around, 24 hours a day.
BARTIROMO: What can be done?
GIULIANI: Mike Bloomberg held it together.
Well, I know a lot of differences with him on running for president, but Mike Bloomberg kept it safe, for which I always appreciated. And this guy is a total disaster.
But he's the typical Democratic mayor. Look at all the cities that are governed by Democrats forever and ever. I took over a city that was governed by Democrats forever and ever, and they had 2,200 murders a year, and I left the city with 500 murders. And Bloomberg got it down to 300 murders.
Two cops almost assassinated -- or attempted assassinated in two days. Look, I...
BARTIROMO: Well, two cop shootings within 12 hours in New York...
GIULIANI: Yes.
BARTIROMO: ... which we have been reporting on, the breaking news this morning.
GIULIANI: Yes.
And I get -- I mean, I can't walk the streets, Maria -- and this is not -- with people coming up to me and saying, you got to run again, you got to run again, you got to run. This guy's terrible.
I haven't actually -- this the first politician I know, I haven't found one person to defend Mike -- de Blasio. I haven't found one person to defend him.
BARTIROMO: But this was Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, who put...
GIULIANI: Well, I don't know what Andrew was thinking.
I mean, Andrew has common sense.
BARTIROMO: Put into effect this bail reform law, which enabled all these people back on the street.
GIULIANI: It's ridiculous.
I would like to point out one case which was -- we stopped a serial murder, because we changed the law. When you jumped the turnstile in New York in the pre-Giuliani era in the Democratic boss era, nothing happened. You got a desk appearance ticket.
We said, everybody who jumps a turnstile, we're going to fingerprint them, take them in, fingerprint them, maybe hold them for the night, or at least fingerprint them.
We had a serial murder start. This guy killed one woman. Then he killed another woman, all signs of a serial murder. Then he attempted it on the East Side of Manhattan near New York Hospital.
The woman fought him off, and he left a fingerprint. We traced it back to the fingerprint of the guy who jumped a turnstile four days...
BARTIROMO: Wow.
GIULIANI: ... four months earlier.
BARTIROMO: This is the great work that our law enforcement does.
GIULIANI: Bratton, Safir, and Bernie Kerik can give you hundreds of cases and crimes that were stopped because of the broken windows theory, which this idiot thinks he's smart enough -- the theory isn't mine.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
GIULIANI: It's Professor Wilson, Professor Kelling. Maybe they'd like it better...
BARTIROMO: Do you believe...
GIULIANI: They were from Harvard, guys. They were from Harvard.
BARTIROMO: Do you believe crime is up as a result of this new bail reform law?
GIULIANI: I -- it will be. If it isn't, it will be.
There's -- I had to do everything I could to stop what was called turnstile justice. The drug dealer -- I mean, drug dealing is not a violent crime. The drug dealers sells drugs on the street. The police are -- the police arrest him.
You take him in, he's back in three hours. You know what the kids on the street say? The kids on the street say, that's a great job. Three-hour interruption, he must be bribing the cops to come back in three hours.
BARTIROMO: Well, I mean, you talk about nonviolent crime. Punching you in the nose is nonviolent, apparently.
I mean, all of these things that are nonviolent, these people are on the street doing nonviolent things.
GIULIANI: These people did it to us in the '70s and the '80s and the '90s.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
GIULIANI: We had over 1,700 murders for 30 straight years in this city because of Democratic ridiculous ideas that help criminals.
Who are the innocent people they're hurting?
BARTIROMO: Yes.
GIULIANI: Poor people.
Seventy percent...
BARTIROMO: They want it to be a sanctuary city.
GIULIANI: Seventy of the murder victims in this city are African-American.
So, you let crime go up...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
GIULIANI: ... who are you hurting?
BARTIROMO: Mr. Mayor...
GIULIANI: Don't you care about those people?
BARTIROMO: Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us.
GIULIANI: I don't think they care about those people.
BARTIROMO: Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
We will be right back with Chad Wolf from the Homeland Security Department.
Coronavirus now claiming more lives in China than SARS nearly two decades ago. What is the government doing to protect Americans from exposure? Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf is next.
Follow me on Twitter @MariaBartiromo and on Instagram.
Back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
More than 800 people have now died from the coronavirus in mainland China, topping the death toll in the 2003 SARS epidemic.
So far in the United States, there are so far 12 confirmed cases in six states in the U.S.
What's being done?
Want to bring in right now acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
And, Secretary Wolf, it's good to have you this morning. Thanks very much for joining us.
CHAD WOLF, ACTING U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Thank you for having.
BARTIROMO: Tell me what the department is doing to protect Americans against this coronavirus right now, whether it be at the airports or anything else.
WOLF: Sure.
So, the president's been very clear, and that is to protect Americans. So, what we have done is, we have put together a multilayered strategy, an across-agency task force to address this issue.
So, we have put measures in place at airports of entry, at land ports of entry and at maritime ports of entry. So, in the air environment, we're funneling flights from China to 11 airports. And that also includes any other individuals coming from any other country that have been in China in the last 14 days, to make sure that they get the right medical screening and the medical care that they need at those 11 airports.
And so what we hear from the CDC and the medical professionals at CDC, that 14-day period, whether you're symptomatic or asymptomatic, is very critical.
So, we're looking at that. We're making sure that, again, folks have the right medical care. And if they need to be government-quarantined or a self-imposed quarantine, that they are -- that they do that and, again, that they have the medical information they need to protect themselves and their -- and their loved ones.
BARTIROMO: Yes, I think -- I think you make an important point here, because there are certain points of entry where you see more Chinese nationals coming in this country than others, right?
We have got that actually here on screen. Explain us -- walk through that for us.
WOLF: Absolutely.
The 11 airports that we are funneling flights to carry the vast majority of traffic from China. What we have seen over the past several weeks is, the three major U.S. carriers all but ceasing flights from China.
So, the majority of flights that are coming in from China are Chinese airlines carrying mainly U.S. passengers -- or U.S. citizens, I should say. But, as we look at land ports of entry, when we look at the total amount of individuals crossing, we see the highest amount of Chinese nationals crossing in Blaine, Washington, San Ysidro -- and that's in California -- and Buffalo.
So, we're taking extra precaution at those ports of entry, as well as all ports of entry, to make sure ,again, the medical care and screening is occurring there, and, again, if quarantine is necessary, that they have the procedures and the facilities to do that at those ports of entry.
And I would also say that our U.S. Coast Guard...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
WOLF: ... is heavily involved in our maritime ports of entry.
We're looking at those cargo ships that, again, are carrying crew perhaps from China, have been in China to make sure that -- again, that they are not carrying the virus, are not showing symptoms. And, if they are, they're not coming into the U.S.
We're holding them off -- out of the port...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
WOLF: ... and taking necessary precautions that way as well.
BARTIROMO: Secretary, let me switch gears, because we know that New York, Andrew Cuomo is suing the administration over the decision to ban residents from the trusted traveler program.
I want to ask you about what's going on in terms of this lawsuit and why the administration is doing away with people who have this Global Entry program. Tell us what the issue is.
WOLF: So, I would say we get sued all the time, and I'm happy to get sued for doing our job.
The specific issue here -- and I think there's a lot of miscommunication and misinformation out there. So, people will -- this has nothing to do with illegal aliens receiving driver's license. This has nothing to do with the sanctuary policies of New York.
Both of those are misguided, in my opinion.
BARTIROMO: OK.
WOLF: And they're dangerous. But it has nothing to do with what is occurring now.
BARTIROMO: Secretary, hold on one second.
WOLF: New York...
BARTIROMO: You know what? This -- I have to -- I have a follow-up on this, and we have got to really get into this subject.
WOLF: OK.
BARTIROMO: So, stay with us. We will take a break.
WOLF: Sure.
BARTIROMO: And then we continue.
We are with Chad Wolf this morning. You will want to hear this next part of this interview.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: And I am back with acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf.
Secretary, you know, on the China situation, it's amazing to me that they're criticizing the United States for limiting travel. Meanwhile, they have got everybody locked down in their homes in China.
I mean, so this coronavirus situation is serious. Thank you for addressing it.
Now please address the New York situation, New York and the administration.
WOLF: Yes, let me restate by saying that this has nothing to do with, again, the law that they passed regarding providing driver's license to illegal aliens.
Again, that's wrong. That's dangerous, and that's irresponsible. But that's separate from what we're -- what we did this week.
New York is the only state -- and that bears repeating -- the only state that restricts CBP access to their DMV data across the board, not only for immigration purposes, but for law enforcement purposes, for customs purposes, but also for trade and travel facilitation purposes, the only state, which is precisely why we took the action that we did.
Now, if -- if New York, again, wants to restore this access, then we're happy to continue to process these applications. But, specifically, what they did is, they don't allow CBP to check their DMV database as they vet applicants for a Global Entry or another trusted traveler program.
So, what does that mean? It means that CBP doesn't have access to indicate if an individual has a DUI, or has another aggravated traffic offense. Either one of those are disqualification for the program.
So, my job is to make sure that that program maintains its integrity, so that individuals in New York are processed and evaluated the same as individuals in Michigan, Minnesota, or California.
And, right now, because New York took this action, the department had to respond and take appropriate action to make sure that the rest of the individuals in these programs continue to be able to use the program.
BARTIROMO: So, very clearly -- very quickly, just to be clear, Secretary, the state of New York, Governor Cuomo will not allow Customs and Border Patrol to have access to the Department of Motor Vehicles Web site and the data in the DMV, Department of Motor Vehicles.
Why do you need that data, real quick?
WOLF: Real quick.
So, to vet an applicant for a trusted traveler program, we look at a number of different data fields and databases. And one is to determine whether or not they have certain misdemeanors.
If you have a misdemeanor, you're disqualified from participating in this program. If you have a DUI, if you have another aggravated traffic offense, whether that's a misdemeanor or a felony, you are -- you are disqualified from this program.
Without access, we cannot run a proper security check and a risk assessment. And that is simply dangerous.
I would also say, from customs inspection...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
WOLF: ... we have CBP officers at ports of entry every day. And they don't have access, law enforcement access, to do their job, which is also very dangerous.
BARTIROMO: Unbelievable.
All right, Secretary, we will be watching this situation. Thank you very much, Secretary Chad Wolf, joining us there.
WOLF: Thank you.
BARTIROMO: And now this from this past week.
Take a watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Jobs and investment are pouring into 9,000 previously neglected neighborhoods, thanks to Opportunity Zones, a plan spearheaded by Senator Tim Scott, as part of our great Republican tax cuts.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: In other words, wealthy people and companies are pouring money into poor neighborhoods or areas that haven't seen investment in many decades, creating jobs, energy, and excitement.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: This is the first time that these deserving communities have seen anything like this. It is all working.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: All right, President Trump at the State of the Union with a big shout-out to South Carolina Senator Tim Scott during the State of the Union this week, praising him for his work creating jobs, cutting taxes for poor communities in that state.
Joining me right now is the senator himself, Senator Tim Scott.
Senator, great to see you. Thanks very much for being here.
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): Thank you, Maria. It's good to be on the number one Sunday morning show in America.
BARTIROMO: Thank you so much, sir.
SCOTT: So, congratulations to you.
BARTIROMO: I so appreciate that.
Were you expecting that shout-out?
SCOTT: Yes, ma'am.
BARTIROMO: Congratulations to you with these Opportunity Zones.
Just to be clear, this was your idea. This was your bill. You took that bill to the president.
SCOTT: Yes, ma'am.
BARTIROMO: And he ran with it. Tell us about it.
SCOTT: Absolutely. There's no doubt.
The president deserves so much credit for focusing on the most vulnerable Americans in this nation. And he's bringing $67 billion back into some of the most vulnerable communities in the country.
And I'm thankful that he supported my legislation, the Opportunity Zone bill, that is bringing that -- those dollars back.
But the good news is, in those areas, we have seen as high as an 8 percent wage increase. And, Maria, you know we're celebrating over 3 percent wage growth in America. Can you imagine areas with an 8 percent wage growth?
These are blessed times for Americans who are looking for hope. The president has becoming -- has become a purveyor of hope.
BARTIROMO: Yes, it's unbelievable.
We had the jobs numbers out on Friday. We're now at a record low.
SCOTT: Two hundred and twenty-five thousand.
BARTIROMO: Right? A record low in terms of unemployment for the black community.
We are at record lows for Hispanics, certainly...
SCOTT: Yes.
BARTIROMO: ... and obviously a very good number for the national rate.
But with wages up 8 percent, how you say it, unemployment at a record low, what is this doing in terms...
SCOTT: Yes.
BARTIROMO: ... of the African-American community in America and their -- and their support of President Trump? Because there are a number of polls out there, and the number ranges.
Has it changed, the support for the president?
SCOTT: Well, on Election Day 2016, he was around 8 or 9 percent. Right now, his approval rating on the last four polls that I have seen is over 30 percent.
And there's a very specific reason -- reason why that is the case. He has not only said what he was going to do. He actually has done it. Whether it's permanent funding for HBCUs, historically black colleges and universities, or criminal justice reform, Opportunity Zones, heirs property, working on sickle cell anemia, this president has been delivering for three years.
And it is now gaining traction in African-American communities across this nation. And that's really good news for this president. And, frankly, it's fantastic news for America, because we're proving that, no matter where you live, the American dream is alive, it is well, and it is healthy.
BARTIROMO: That is so fantastic.
I talk about a lot on "Mornings With Maria" on FOX Business that income inequality has narrowed. This is a huge issue right now.
SCOTT: Yes. Yes.
BARTIROMO: And this has been an issue for years, but it's actually happening. It's narrowing.
And yet your colleagues on the left don't see it. Take us behind the curtain during that impeachment trial that you were there last week. Then you saw the State of the Union, where Nancy Pelosi ripped up the president's speech.
SCOTT: Well, there's one thing that is completely clear from the impeachment trial.
It was definitely not a fair trial. In a fair trial that began in the House, the president would have had the opportunity to have his attorneys cross-examine the witnesses that were coming out against him.
In a fair trial, the president would have had an opportunity to present witnesses. In a fair trial, the president would have had an opportunity to participate in all 78 days of the trial.
But in the unfair trial in the House, he was forbidden, locked out for the first 71 of 78 days.
BARTIROMO: Wow.
SCOTT: He was not allowed to participate in the process.
There is nothing more sacred in this nation...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: ... than the presumption of innocence.
BARTIROMO: Of course.
SCOTT: And he was denied that.
BARTIROMO: Senator, stay with us.
SCOTT: And that's just -- it's heartbreaking.
BARTIROMO: We have got to talk more about this. We have got to talk more about this.
SCOTT: Sure. Let's do it.
BARTIROMO: Stay with us.
We will be right back with Tim Scott.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
I am back with Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina.
And, Senator, you were talking about the absence of due process as it relates to President Trump.
SCOTT: Yes.
BARTIROMO: You gave a speech on fairness the other day.
I want to talk to you about this, because, while there has been a double standard with President Trump, equally double standard is the fact that all of the wrongdoing that we know occurred in 2016, period, where they put informants, leakers, as well as wiretapping against the Trump campaign, your colleagues on the left will not acknowledge it.
SCOTT: Well, that's the most amazing part of the process.
If you look at the very foundation of impeachment, it did not start three or four months ago. It actually started in January of 2017.
One of the first headlines in The Washington Post was, impeachment begins. And what happened immediately? The Russia investigation. Can you imagine how much time, energy and money, $32 million, I think it was 2,800 subpoenas, 500 individuals called in...
BARTIROMO: That's right.
SCOTT: ... dozens of FBI agents digging into the president's past, into the political operations to find some link.
The entire foundation, the presumption of innocence has been void for this president the entire time he's been in office. It is the closest thing to a witch-hunt we have seen of a president in my lifetime.
BARTIROMO: So, you were at the State of the Union.
And you saw when the speaker ripped up his script. And you saw when the president pointed out certain people, important people, who were sitting there.
SCOTT: Yes.
BARTIROMO: And they didn't stand up.
SCOTT: I was shocked on four different occasions.
The first one, which I thought was amazing, was when the officer, the Army soldier walked in, and you saw his wife's face. She was shocked, the little girl and their son being reunited with their family.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: To not stand up for that, I don't understand.
The little girl in Philadelphia, 11 years old, cute little girl, with her smart glasses...
BARTIROMO: She's getting a scholarship.
SCOTT: She's getting a scholarship that was -- she was locked out of for over a couple of years, a third of her life. She's 11.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: You think about the 100-year-old Tuskegee Airman who's now a general officer because of President Trump. Not a single person stood.
A person who was a drug addict is now working for a company in an Opportunity Zone.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: He is receiving the type of praise and, most importantly, the second chance that is the American story, the story of redemption. And not a single member on the other side stood for that?
And then the speaker of the House would tear up the speech that illuminated the accomplishments of this nation, the pioneering nation that we are, the nation that is the best place to get a second chance...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: ... just like I received as a kid?
I want us to think thoroughly through what it was that she was tearing and shredding. It wasn't the president speech. It was the reality that this nation continues to rise to the occasion. And we do it consistently.
BARTIROMO: Yes. Yes.
SCOTT: I don't understand that.
BARTIROMO: Senator...
SCOTT: That venom is amazing.
BARTIROMO: Yes. The vitriol is incredible.
And I think, in your speech, you said, look, if we can't have due process for a sitting president of this great land, what does that mean for the rest of us?
SCOTT: Absolutely.
The thing I always think about is, if you can't -- if you won't do it for the president, you won't do it for the one who's penniless.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: If you won't do for the prince, you will never do it for the pauper.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: In other words, if you won't do for him, I'm in trouble.
Every single American should be concerned when the president of the United States, in a nationally televised trial, is eliminated from the process for the first 71 of the 78 days.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: And then the House managers want witnesses.
Well, we had 190-plus clips of 13 witnesses that were -- appeared in the Senate trial.
BARTIROMO: Right.
SCOTT: How they can stand and look the American people in the eyes and say, there were no witnesses in the Senate trial...
BARTIROMO: Yes. Well, just...
SCOTT: ... when we had 13 witnesses.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
And just to be clear, I know that there was a total of 18 witnesses in the House. But you only saw 17 transcripts.
SCOTT: Seventeen.
BARTIROMO: We're still waiting on the 18th transcript of the I.G...
SCOTT: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
BARTIROMO: ... which I don't know why that hasn't been released.
SCOTT: I will bet you...
BARTIROMO: But, Senator...
SCOTT: You and I both know why it hasn't been released. I know why it hasn't been released, because it doesn't reinforce the negative fictional fact pattern, fictional fact pattern.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
SCOTT: This is kind of like Neverland.
It doesn't reinforce that, so you will never see that come out of the House. It's a shame, because it's a sham.
BARTIROMO: Senator, it's great to have you this morning. Thank you so much for joining us. We so appreciate it.
SCOTT: Thank you, ma'am.
BARTIROMO: Please come back soon, Senator Tim Scott there.
SCOTT: Let me know when. BARTIROMO: And thank you for connecting the dots, because it did start with the Russia collusion narrative. And it all started with Devin Nunes exposing the truth.
Take a look at this, President Trump calling out Congressman Devin Nunes. He's going to be joining me next.
Despite the impeachment saga ending in acquittal, House Democrats are still yet to release one of the transcripts from their closed-door politicians.
Joining me right now is Republican Congressman Devin Nunes of California. He is ranking member of the House Intel Committee.
And, Congressman, it's good to see you. Thanks very much for joining us.
REP. DEVIN NUNES (R-CA): Great to be with you this morning.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
Congressman, let me ask you what happens now, because I know that the speaker has said she wants to continue investigating President Trump.
NUNES: Yes, it's not going to end.
They have been doing it since the president was first elected, just like Senator Scott just said. All the major newspapers in this country, the legacy media owned by the billionaires, they have all been calling for it.
So this has been a work in progress. And they imploded with the Russia investigation in a big way, because it was a complete hoax. And then they manufactured this new Ukrainian hoax, which we're starting to get to the bottom of this hoax.
And I think, as soon as the whistle-blower actually gets called -- or the supposable whistle-blower gets called before the Senate and conducts an interview, you will be able to fit the pieces in between the Democrats in the House and their staff, who met with the whistle-blower, and this scam that the ICIG is under, who refuses to provide the evidence for his outlandish claims that you didn't need to have firsthand information, you only had to have secondhand information, and that somehow, miraculously, the form was changed, and then none of those stories actually make any sense.
And when you put all that together, I think you're going to find a fake impeachment hoax.
BARTIROMO: So, Congressman, you have sent a letter to the inspector general. He has yet to come up with documents that you are asking for.
NUNES: Yes.
BARTIROMO: Please tell us what you are reaching out for and why you have yet to see these documents -- yet to see these documents?
NUNES: Well, we sent -- the Republican leader Jim Jordan and I sent a letter originally in October. We didn't want to get in the middle of the impeachment hoax while we were going through that.
We said, we're going to come back and revisit this. When that was -- when it was -- finally, the impeachment was out of the House, we tried to get a response again at the beginning of January, which I think you broke on your show.
So, still no response. I mean, he's responding, but he's refusing to provide documentation. So, if indeed you -- that this wasn't -- that the policy wasn't what it said on your form, OK, if indeed that happened, then there has to be e-mails and drafts of the form that would have been created.
And all we're asking is for the ICIG to provide evidence. And, remember, I.G.s, they're really good about getting evidence.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
NUNES: That's what they specialize in.
So, the I.G. knows damn well what we're asking for.
BARTIROMO: OK.
NUNES: And he's refusing to provide it.
BARTIROMO: Congressman, stay with us.
NUNES: That's all we're asking for.
BARTIROMO: Stay with us.
NUNES: OK.
BARTIROMO: Quick break.
More with you in a minute. Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
And I'm back with Congressman Devin Nunes, who sent a letter to I.G. Michael Atkinson asking for information about the whistle-blower and how the I.G.'s office handled the whistle-blower in the impeachment.
Congressman, do you think we're going to see any accountability here? I mean, there is debate about the president firing Ambassador (sic) Vindman. And now there is question -- there are questions about where this is going.
We know what took place in 2016, that Durham has a criminal investigation under way. What about accountability?
NUNES: Well, look, I believe we're going to get accountability.
I believe Durham is going to get to the full story. You see what the president is doing. I have been saying for a long time that the National Security Council that's there at the White House, 400 and some people, he would be best to take all of those people, ship them across the Potomac, put them -- quarantine them, get them the hell away from the White House, because we know that a lot of the leaks for the last three-plus years have been coming from that National Security Council.
So the president really needs to only have Trump appointees that are close to him in the White House, because we know they're talking to the media.
And, look, that's really what's caused this problem, Maria. It's been the media. The legacy media in this country, they're not doing their jobs. This whole Russia hoax and Ukraine hoax, they were in on it from the very beginning. They have refused to talk about just how wrong the Democrats really were.
You have to ask yourself, why is that? At some point, you have to understand they're just part of the team. They're part of the socialist left. There's no other excuse for it.
If you -- everything that the Republicans in the House have done over the last three-and-a-half years -- you have had John Ratcliffe on.
BARTIROMO: Right.
NUNES: Trey Gowdy used to come on your show. Now he's a FOX News contributor.
We never missed once. Everything we said came out to be true.
BARTIROMO: I know that.
NUNES: And had -- and had we missed once, just once...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
NUNES: ... I guarantee you, you would have held us accountable.
So, the fact that they went through this whole hoax, I mean, just think about this for a second. I want -- I want the guests to think about it. You have heard us talk about this a lot over the last few months.
But the very thing that Adam Schiff and the Democrats in the House accused President Trump of doing, of trying to dig up dirt from foreigners, OK, that's what the Clinton campaign did. They sent Fusion GPS...
BARTIROMO: Right.
NUNES: ... and Christopher Steele and gathered that dirt.
Secondly, you have evidence that the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee -- and I know this kind of sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
NUNES: They tried to get nude pictures of the president. Think about that for a second.
So, we went through the...
BARTIROMO: It's just -- it's just extraordinary, yes.
NUNES: It's extraordinary.
And the media doesn't call them on out that. And -- and I think, until that happens, we're going to continue to have impeachment games for the rest of -- all the way through the election.
BARTIROMO: And throughout '17, '18, '19, I was having you and John Ratcliffe and Trey Gowdy, et cetera, all your colleagues, on this program every Sunday.
And you were exposing what had taken place, and I got slammed in the media. They -- the mobs come at you.
NUNES: Right.
BARTIROMO: They do not want to discuss this.
I find it extraordinary, because I would think anybody on either side of the aisle would want fairness, would want due process in America. And yet...
NUNES: Yes, and we're not...
BARTIROMO: Yes.
NUNES: We're not going to clean up this problem in America.
We have millions of Americans whose minds are poisoned by the left and the media.
So, until they come out they say...
BARTIROMO: And I know you're suing Twitter...
NUNES: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BARTIROMO: ... McClatchy. You're suing a number of them, and CNN -- and rMD-BO_CNN.
NUNES: Yes.
BARTIROMO: Yes.
NUNES: Well, if the courts don't step in -- the courts have got to step in and say, look, no more slander, no more defamation on public officials.
BARTIROMO: Congressman...
NUNES: And I hope more people bring these cases forward, because it's the only way we're going to be able to hold the media accountable.
And we need a media...
BARTIROMO: Of course.
NUNES: ... a transparent media in this country, or we're just going to have more impeachment games that are going to be played by Democratic politicians.
BARTIROMO: Congressman, thank you so much. Good to see you, sir.
NUNES: Thanks, Maria.
BARTIROMO: We will see you soon, Devin Nunes.
We will be right back.
NUNES: Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: Welcome back.
Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray sat down for the Judiciary Committee. He acknowledged that the government surveillance of the former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was illegal and unlawful, as several of the FISA applications failed to establish probable cause.
Joining me right now is Congressman Doug Collins. He is ranking member of the House Judiciary. He's been saying this now for over a year.
And, Congressman, it's good to see you this morning.
REP. DOUG COLLINS (R-GA): Good to see you.
BARTIROMO: Give me your reaction to Chris Wray testimony.
COLLINS: Well, I think it's good and bad.
Number one, Chris Wray actually has taken care of a lot of the senior leadership at the FBI that we all know was part of that corrupt cabal of Strzok, Comey, Page that we have been fighting against for so long, but then also wasn't real clear on what he's going to do on how -- besides implementing the instructions from the Horowitz report, is there other things that can be done?
The lower-level folks who are involved in this, what is happening to them? He wouldn't comment on that. He wouldn't talk about the Woods report, which is a documentation background into the Carter Page FISA application.
And he wouldn't really talk about the FISA leaks that has caused such a stir here that I know Devin and others have talked and we have been talking about for so long. That's part of the problem that's got to be fixed.
He's going to have to do more in that regard.
BARTIROMO: But they want to continue to investigate Donald Trump. You know that, Congressman.
Are you going to be able to get anything done, when Nancy Pelosi is threatening more testimony from the Trump side?
COLLINS: The delusional hysteria from the -- of the left on this issue of Donald Trump, and especially last week, when he was acquitted and they can't seem to accept it.
They're not going to get anything done. When you have the FISA, which is -- we need to actually work on FISA on our Judiciary Committee. But I have got Jerry Nadler taking his time during the Chris Wray testimony to talk about Brett Kavanaugh.
He's wanting to go back and discuss something that was almost two years ago that has been put to rest. And he's wanting to focus on possible things that he don't think the Trump administration did right then.
Between Schiff and Nadler, who, by the way, are not getting along real well -- you can tell that in their public demeanor. When we can't get the two of them to get along, Democrats are fighting Democrats, then we can't get anything done in the House.
BARTIROMO: So you don't think Schiff and Nadler -- they have had a falling out?
COLLINS: It appears that way, when it looks like from just watching the impeachment, when Chairman Schiff tried to keep Chairman Nadler from actually saying something there toward the end.
At one of the press conference, somebody tried to ask Chairman Nadler about what he said, and Chairman Schiff said: No, I answer all the questions.
Look, when you're -- when you're in it for the star power and the light, Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi and all the House are looking just to get at this president, so they can say that they're the ones that took down President Trump, who's done so much for our country, then you can't get anything else done.
This is all about 2020. This is all about them trying to win an election and beat Donald Trump.
BARTIROMO: It certainly looks that way.
Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thank you so much, sir.
COLLINS: Good to see you as well. Take care.
BARTIROMO: Congressman Doug Collins.
That will do it for "Sunday Morning Futures." Thanks for joining me.
I'm Maria Bartiromo.
The news continues. Join me tomorrow morning, "Mornings With Maria," on FOX Business 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern, and continue the conversation.
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